The present invention relates to methodology and an apparatus for securing documents and more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus to prevent falsification of documentation and unauthorized duplication.
As is well known, multi-color and single case images in printed matter of which the public is aware are typically composed of dots. Typically, one or several screens of half-tone dots which can be printed in different color inks are superimposed in order to provide the picture. The viewer""s visual cortex interprets these small dots into a continuous tone picture. By the combination of dots of different sizes and colors, it is possible to create a picture having the appearance of many more colors than were actually printed. The illusion of up to 16.7 million colors can be generated using only four primary colors.
Lithographic printing uses dot-based half-tone screening in the printing process. For each ink to be printed, a separate printing plate is prepared using a half-tone dot screen that differs from every other screen to be used both in dot angle and pattern. When printed together, the final combined screens form a pattern of dots. There are variations that are known on the patterning, including a complete lack of pattern, referred to as Stochastic screening, but in the majority of the cases, the patterns are dot-based.
Generally, the traditional methods and technology for printing images are far too common place and broadly available to provide protection from counterfeiting or otherwise unauthorized duplication. The traditional secure image does not incorporate dots whatsoever. This is due to the fact that substantially all of the available printing technology is geared to produce and reproduce dot-based material. If secure images do not incorporate dots, they are difficult to reproduce using the prevalent dot-based printing technologies. Accordingly, the typical secure graphic uses line-based screens. In line-based screens, lines are incorporated instead of dots. Density is controlled by varying the thickness and spacing of the lines, thereby changing the ratio of the amount of ink on the paper relative to the white space surrounding it. Localized or fine control over density is a problem because of the continuous line structure. In order to present a photo-like image in a line screen format, the user must be able to change the ratio of ink to white space at a given point on the line and not along its complete length.
There exists a need for a system whereby single and multiple color planed images may be generated which do not use dots and with the result being a high fidelity image that has anti-counterfeit, anti-scan and anti-copy properties.
One object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method of processing a bitmap image to form an image which has anti-counterfeit, anti-scan and anti-copy properties, comprising:
providing a bitmap image having color or greyscale planes, each plane of which has color or greyscale values;
processing the bitmap image to separate each color or greyscale plane of the color or greyscale planes;
converting image material of each color or greyscale plane into microtype layers having characters, each layer having microtype arranged at a different angle;
modulating character width in each layer based on the color or greyscale values from the bitmap image; and
superimposing the layers of characters to produce a processed image of the bitmap image, whereby the processed image has anti-counterfeit, anti-scan and anti-copy properties.
A further object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method of processing a bitmap image to form an image which has anti-counterfeit, anti-scan and anti-copy properties, comprising:
providing a bitmap image having color or greyscale values;
editing the bitmap image to form a separate TIFF color or greyscale plane for each color or greyscale of the bitmap image;
processing each color or greyscale plane into coordinates of position represented by an X value and a Y value and a Z value representative of a sum of color or greyscale value;
converting the coordinates into a virtual three dimensional surface;
forming a microtype vector outline template for each color or greyscale plane;
varying angular disposition of the microtype within each color or greyscale plane;
applying microtype to the virtual surface;
converting each Z value into a line width value;
processing the line width value into a polygonal vector outline; and
imaging vectors with a high resolution imaging device.
A still further object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a system for processing a bitmap image to a secured image which has anti-counterfeit, anti-scan and anti-copy properties, comprising:
bitmap image editing means for editing the bitmap image, the bitmap image having color or greyscale values;
a processor for processing the bitmap image to separate each color or greyscale plane of the color or greyscale planes;
pixel conversion means for converting pixels in each color or greyscale plane into Cartesian coordinates with an X value and a Y value representative of position and a Z value representative of color or greyscale value;
computer aided design software for processing the coordinates of each color or greyscale plane into a virtual three dimensional surface;
a conversion processor for converting each Z value into a width dimension; and
postscript translation means for translating the coordinates into an image which has anti-counterfeit, anti-scan and anti-copy properties.
The microtype may be selected from any suitable type with the bitmap image being captured as a variable width modulation of the character outlines in the composite microtype screens. The effect of this for multicolor images is that when the screens are superimposed, the viewer perceives a multiple color, image. For greyscale images, the viewer perceives the monochromatic image. Advantageously, the process prevents counterfeiting and unauthorized reproduction in a number of ways including photomechanical reproduction, color copying, as well as high and low resolution scanning. Considering the fact that each color or greyscale plane contains an infinite range of graduation in tone, the subtlety of tone range achieved in the digital master image can not be accurately photographed or scanned. Loss of the fine tonal variations is almost impossible to avoid. Any copied image will lack the vibrancy of the original and this becomes extremely evident in a comparison of the original image to a copied image. In addition, reverse engineering and/or image reconstruction are impossible.
As an added benefit, each character in the microtype and, as will be appreciated, there can be several hundreds of thousands of characters in a single image, is completely unique. By practicing a methodology of the present invention, no two characters on the entire image and all of its color planes are the same. Even if a counterfeiter were equipped with the original digital subject image, the digital microtype character templates and the software involved in effecting the present invention, an exact match could not be generated.
Having thus described the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments.